Whole Life Yoga Podcast

Italo Calvino’s Il Barone Rampante / Baron in the Trees is one of my favourite ever books. It was one of the texts/aesthetic experiences/works of art that gave me an undeniable experience of what is known in Sanskṛt as rasa - the flavour that art can invoke and evoke. When I first read it, in my second year of studying Italian, I also read the English translation. Curiously, my favourite episodes were different in the original and in the translation. Of course, any translation, however masterful ,will never be able to represent all of the same nuance of the original. Still, even if you don’t read Italian, I highly recommend Baron in the Trees.In this episode, I talk a little about the theory of rasa and bhāva, principles elaborated in Bharata’s Nāṭyaśāstra and Abhinavagupta’s Abhinavabharati which have rich application in yoga practice.Sign up for my newsletter via the form at the foot of any page on my website to hear about upcoming courses and the membership in which we explore yoga texts, stories and principles in depth and in living relation to our lives today. www.jamesboagyoga.com

So do you have a yoga practice? This episode includes: What does sādhana mean? Is your practice helping keep your life orienting in the direction of your soul’s deeper and authentic longing? The potency of allowing some time for deep silence and meditation every day. The Medi-state as the foundation for yoga practice. Meditation and silence allowing us to connect to source, disconnect from the clutter and chaos of our conditioned perspectives, attenuate our attachments to the fleeting externals that will never bring us lasting peace or satisfaction and bathe in the influence of our deathless essence. And what else constitues a yoga practice? Yoga treats the whole human being. Physical, sensory, mental, intellectual, emotional. The Upaniṣadic image of the chariot and the horses. How to train our horses, the need to exercise them with respect. How ’that which does not kill me can only make me stronger’ is a partial truth at best. Am I becoming a more skilful charioteer? Am I handling my horsepower skilfully? And what if it feels like I don’t have a lot time to devote to practice? Remembering the classic definition of yoga practice: the effort to foster steadiness. An effort that is long term, uninterrupted, attended to ith genuine presence, with dedication and devotion so it can become well rooted, able to grow and withstand storms. Does such a definition mean I have to devote all the day to technique? No! Techniques are for the sake of attuning to what it means to be buddhiyukta - joined up, integrated, present with all our intelligences functioning together in mutual support. Considering the structure of a traditional ‘full time practitioner’ in the haṭha yoga tradition and how this can inform a practitioner with less time to devote to technique. Practising to nourish the whole.

What is special about a whole life yoga retreat at Casa Cuadrau in the Spanish Pyrenees? From 2012-2019 I enjoyed the great boon of sharing retreats every year at beautiful Casa Cuadrau. Between the travel restrictions and Brexit complications of recent years there has been a painfully prolonged hiatus in my visits to this wonderfully nourishing part of the world. This year, 20-27 June 2026 I am very grateful to be returning to Casa Cuadrau at one of my favourite times of the year there.June 20-27 Yoga and the Sun Celebrate the solstice on this immersive whole life yoga retreat with James Boag and Daniel Benito Po. https://www.casacuadrau.org/retiro/whole-life-yoga-james-boag/ You can see Dani and I talking a little about the retreat in this short video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6XFN_t0Wras In this podcast episode I share a bit more about why I find Casa Cuadrau such a nourishing place to live the yoga teachings. This June 20-27: Every day: we will walk in the wonderland of the valle de vió and its majestic surroundings, including the gorgeous Añisclo Cañon and the mythical Brahmapan mountain. We will live the teachings, simply and joyfully, infusing every day with the supports of intelligent yogic movement practices, meditation, quiet time, satsang and song. James will share subtle, powerful practices you can easily weave into daily life and we’ll explore the practical supports of yoga principles through the lens of the elements, fire and the sun, with story and song along the way. Nourishing food, uplifting company, the simple luxury of nature. Holistic and integrated yogic practice in an unsurpassed setting in a house built with love, tended with care, where we can remember our deeper gifts and experience deep renewal.  Book now to guarantee your place. https://www.casacuadrau.org/retiro/whole-life-yoga-james-boag/

Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita mi ritrovai in una selva oscura perchè la dritta via mi era smarrità In the middle of the journey of our life, having lost my way - not seeing the clear way forward, in a dark forest, I came to myself... So begins Dante's Inferno, in a way that bears a striking resemblance to the beginning of the Bhagavad Gītā - in which the protagonist, Arjuna comes to realise the ways he has relied on up to that point are no longer adequate for the challenge he now finds himself in front of... Yoga reminds us that challenges are often great opportunities, as we learn to find our way through the dark wood, we fathom more of the light of our deeper resources and capacities...NEW ONLINE COURSE on the Bhagavad Gītā starts Monday 23rd February 2026. Twelve weekly sessions of 90 minutes, Mondays in English. Wednesdays in French 18:30-20:00 Switzerland timezone. It's also possible to participate even if you are unable to join the live sessions. All participants have access to all recordings and can attend in either or both languages. The course also includes 5+ hours of video with the background story of the Mahābhārata and along the way participants will also receive notes and questions for reflection. We'll work direct from the original Sanskṛt verses and consider the text as a whole with particular emphasis on its practical application in our lives now. Sign up here: https://jamesboagyoga.thinkific.com/courses/BG26 Read more here:https://jamesboagyoga.com/bg26/ 

Centralised control and domination? That's an outdated story. Past its use by date.Thinking we are smarter than Life? No, that story of hubris never sustains.The new world is one of deeper harmony and cooperation, in which we remember our innate capacity to collaborate with all of life.NEW ONLINE COURSE on the Bhagavad Gītā starts next Monday 23rd February.One of the key teachings in the Gītā is how we can enact our dharma to support lokasaṅgraha - the wellbeing of the whole. How we can express our gifts in such a way that it supports the cohesion and harmony if all of life.The course will run for twelve weeks starting 23rd February 2026. Mondays in English. Wednesdays in French 18:30-20:00 Switzerland timezone. It's also possible to participate even if you are unable to join the live sessions.All participants have access to all recordings and you can attend in either or both languages. The course also includes 5+ hours of video with the background story of the Mahābhārata and along the way participants will also receive notes and questions for reflection.We'll work direct from the original Sanskṛt verses and consider the text as a whole with particular emphasis on it's practical application in our lives now.Sign up here: https://jamesboagyoga.thinkific.com/courses/BG26Read more here:https://jamesboagyoga.com/bg26/Read the article version of this podcast here: https://jamesboagyoga.com/blog-articles/a-different-story-of-a-new-world-order/

The battlefield setting of the Bhagavad Gītā coming in the midst of a vast epic centred around a war of powerful men fighting amongst themselves sometimes puts people off.However, disregarding the Gītā's extraordinarily pragmatic teachings because we object to the setting is a tragic case of throwing baby out with bathwater.Besides, have you not sometimes fought against yourself? Experienced yourself behaving in ways that are inimical to your higher good? Really, the Gītā is set in the thick of life, the battlefield is that of our own psyche. To 'fight' in the yogic sense, means to muster the courage to face ourselves and wrestle with the great challenges and beautiful opportunities that are intrinsic to human experience.In a world that can seem like it is spinning out of control, the time-proven teachings of yoga can give us so much practical support. However, as James emphasises in this episode, just to engage with them is an act of courage. It means SLOWING DOWN: so we can look in ways that reach beyond our habitual modes of conditioned perception, so we can listen with more of the whole of our being and access the vaster intelligence of life that we are part of. And James invites us to SLOW DOWN and join him in regular in-depth study of the Gītā's practical wisdom in the spring 2026 online Gītā satsang course:Read more about it here: https://jamesboagyoga.com/bg26/Sign up here: https://jamesboagyoga.thinkific.com/courses/BG26As well as referencing verse 2.9, in this episode James also gives some interpretation of verses 2.14-15 of the Gītā:mātrāsparśāstu kaunteya śītoṣṇasukhaduḥkhadāḥ | āgamāpāyino’nityāḥ tāṁstitikṣasva bhārata || 2.14 ||yam hi na vyathayantyete puruṣaṁ puruṣarṣabha | samaduḥkhasukhaṁ dhīraṁ so'mṛtatvāya kalpate || 2.15 ||

Gaṇeśa, famed as the ‘remover of obstacles’ is so much more! Along with Śiva, Śakti/Mā/Mother Divine, Viṣṇu/Nārāyaṇa, Skanda/Subrahmaṇya/Kārtikeya/Murugan and Sūrya/Sun, Gaṇeśa is one of the six foremost ways of representing that which is beyond representation, totality/the source/ultimate reality in the Indic tradition.Literally Gaṇeśa or Gaṇapati is the Lord/leader/the one who can bring together, reconcile and integrate all the gaṇa-s - all the members, all the parts, all the units. As such Gaṇeśa is a potent symbol of the integrated, joined up state of yoga and the process of reconciliation, forgiveness and expansion of understanding that is the practice of yoga.In this episode James shares in response to a student expressing frustration at only being able to find Gaṇeśa described as ‘the remover of obstacles’ when she was trying to find out more about mantra-s to Gaṇeśa online.Here, James speaks briefly about some of the import of the mantra-s:Oṁ gaṁ gaṇapataye namaḥAnd:Vakratuṇḍa mahākāya sūryakoṭi samaprabhaNirvighnam kuru me deva sarva kāryeṣu sarvadāBeginning to paint a more nuanced picture of the vast richness of Gaṇeśa.…Coming soon:Whole Life Yoga on demand online course:It all begins with Gaṇeśa - Recitation, movement, storytelling and interpretationSign up now for Spring 2026 online satsang course on the Bhagavad Gītā: https://jamesboagyoga.com/bg26

The Rāmāyaṇa is one of the most treasured stories in the history of humanity. It was my privilege to soak in the teachings of this great epic of the yoga tradition during an autumn 2025 online course. This was also part of a yoga education program at ashtangayogavevey. During the 12 hour course, we explored the extraordinarily rich story of Rāmāyaṇa and gave speical attention to some key episodes, including Hanuman’s traversing the ocean to Lanka and in the example shared in this episode, Hanuman’s adventures in Lanka. Next semester, spring 2026 from late February until early June, I’ll be giving the culminating course of this education program which will be on the Bhagavad Gītā and you are welcome to join.ENROL HERE: https://jamesboagyoga.thinkific.com/courses/BG26READ MORE about the course here: https://jamesboagyoga.com/bg26/The course will run in English on Mondays and French on Wednesdays 18:30-20:00 Switzerland time. All participants receive all sessions recordings and notes and will have access to all course resources for at least a full calendar year after the course culminates in June 2026.This podcast episode features session seven from the recent Rāmāyaṇa course. In the previous session we had considered Hanuman’s great feat of crossing the ocean to Laṅka. In this session, Hanuman continues to gloriously, charmingly and meaningfully take centre stage as he continues his mission, with so much rich practical teaching along the way. 

Ahead of the October 17-19 weekend workshop, Moving with Integrity - A Yogic Perspective for the Dance of Life, facilitators Šuka and James sat down to discuss the motivations and perspectives behind their distinct and complementary work. Here Šuka asks James about how his approach to yoga and yogic education is perhaps different from what many people might experience in 'yoga classes', about his journey as student of yoga and Sanskrit and the principles that underpin his teachings. You can also watch James interviewing Šuka here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9ptBC71TZs&t=49s Read more about the 17-19 October workshop here: https://jamesboagyoga.com/leipzigmovingwithintegrity/ And sigh up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12HvPXuAC67RbtGHcog1AwHH_L0cInVHAp6sq8G-ApOk/viewform?edit_requested=true

Ahead of this October's Moving with Integrity Weekend Workshop in Leipzig, Šuka and I sat down to share a little about our perspectives and approach to work. Šuka is a movement educator, who has integrated his passions for movement and music in the exploration and discipline of dance. A former professional dancer, Šuka now devotes himself to sharing and teaching his ongoing research into movement as a means to more richly experience what it means to be alive. Šuka's dance career began when he started practicing breakdance at the age of twelve in his hometown in Germany. Having had a strong fascination for music and sports from an early age, dancing offered him a way to combine these two passions and he started to dedicate his time and energy in developing a dance practice with a group of friends. Soon Šuka’s curiosity led him to explore a variety of movement styles and he went to study at Codarts Rotterdam to turn dancing into his profession. Since then, Šuka has danced professionally in international productions including with 18 Monkeys Dance Theatre in Bangkok, choreographed by Jitti Chompee and more recently with Dimitri Papaioannous. Having experienced what all his contemporaries at dance school were aiming for and performed at the top level touring internationally, Šuka realised more and more that it was actually teaching, working both with others steeped in the craft and with the general public that he found greater joy and satisfaction. These days, Šuka gives regular teachings where he lives in Germany as well as being a regular guest teacher at several dance festivals and extended workshops around the world. October 17-19, James and Šuka will offer a weekend together in Leipzig, Moving with Integrity: A Yogic Perspective for the Dance of Life: Read more here: https://jamesboagyoga.com/leipzigmovingwithintegrity/ Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12HvPXuAC67RbtGHcog1AwHH_L0cInVHAp6sq8G-ApOk/viewform?edit_requested=true

I am not ONLY this bodyIn certain circles,  one sometimes hears repeated pronouncements like ‘I am not this body’, ‘I am not this mind’, ‘I am not this ego’. These phrases are often derived from much more precise teachings encoded in the Sanskrit language.Phrases like ‘I am not this body’ can be useful in helping us to open up or reconsider our perspetive, but they can also be misinterpreted. Here I share ideas to suggest that it may be more useful to consider the teaching more like, ‘I am not ONLY this body’.The teachings of yoga ultimately aim to integrate and unify our understanding of ourselves - I, of the other - you, and of everything between and beyond - that! Otherwise stated, yoga which means amongst other things ‘to connect’ or ‘integrate’, means to disconnect us from our attachment to limited ideas and false beliefs so we may connect to the greater wholeness and vastness that we are really part of. But this does not mean ignoring, suppressing or repressing the body! The body is our faithful, most intimate companion. It is endowed with so much intelligence. It too is part of THAT - that intelligence which animates the all! When we savour, appreciate and harness the gifts of embodied consciousness, we can refine our understanding of ourselves and existence. It is not that we want to obsess with the body or become a slave to its whims and fancies. However, if we inhabit it with gratitude and cherish its gifts, we may come to recognise the perspective that as well as a heap of matter bound to decay, the body is also a miraculous divine vehicle and our means to recognise our deeper, subtler essence, here and now.To read more about and sign up for the autumn 2025 online course on Living Rāmāyaṇa, use this link: https://jamesboagyoga.com/ramayana2025/

Sacred Stories, Timeless Teachings - Myth, Mantra & Self-Inquiry in the Yogic Tradition In Conversation with Nadine Szumilas: - Why is story such a central and potent part of the yoga teaching tradition? - Why is Sanskrit so powerful, and what's different about reciting in Sanskṛt? - What is special about yogic mythology? And: what will we do in the Sacred stories - Timeless Teachings sessions? Sacred Stories, Timeless Teachings - Myth, Mantra & Self-Inquiry in the Yogic Tradition Autumn sessions 2025 at Ikigai Praha - “It all begins with Gaṇeśa” Saturday 27th September 2-6pm Saturday 25th October 2-6pm Book here: https://www.ikigaipraha.com/events/sacredstories-ganesa More about the series: On hearing the word yoga, people often think of movement, flexibility, or postures on a mat. But yoga is — and always has been — so much more than that. Long before it became a modern practice of physical well-being, yoga was passed on through the spoken word, through story, song, and shared experience. It was a way of living, of seeing, of remembering what truly matters. This spirit will guide the special series of gatherings that will start this autumn at IKIGAI Praha, returning to the heart of yoga’s oral tradition — a space where myth, sound, and meaningful reflection come together as tools for inner clarity, balance, and transformation. These sessions are for anyone who senses that life holds deeper meaning — for those who carry questions, who long to grow, who wish to move forward without repeating old patterns. You don’t need to be a yoga practitioner to take part. This space is open to all who feel drawn to explore, reflect, and widen their perspective through timeless stories that speak to the human experience. Whether you’re seeking clarity, resilience, inspiration, or simply a quiet space to connect inwardly — these stories and teachings offer accessible and nourishing wisdom for real life. In these initial autumn gatherings, we will focus on the mythology and symbolism of Gaṇeśa, Lord of Beginnings and great icon of yoga. As we do this, we’ll discover and learn more about: -What yoga really means and how it relates to all aspects of life -Practical supports to face the unknown and embrace the mystery and majesty of life -Why in yoga and Indian mythology is it traditional to ‘start with Gaṇeśa’?  -How stories of Gaṇeśa offer a guide for our own life and practice. -How we can work to actually ‘change our minds’, renovate our habits and free ourselves from patterns that no longer serve us. Each session will include: • work with sound and song, • live storytelling,  • unpacking of the practical treasure and real life application of the myth. • inquiry and discussion to deepen our understanding. Each session works as a stand alone unique offering, though it is optimal to attend both. Participants will also receive thorough notes, readings and exercises for continued practical engagement with the stories and teachings we explore in the sessions. The material offers insights and tools that continue to resonate long after. What you take with you can gently shape how you move through life, one moment at a time. Fees:  3200czk for both sessions 2000czk for a single session Autumn sessions 2025 - “It all begins with Gaṇeśa” Saturday 27th September 2-6pm Saturday 25th October 2-6pm Book here: https://www.ikigaipraha.com/events/sacredstories-ganesa 

Yoga does not ask us to be anything we are not, but invites us on an unrelenting journey deeper into the heart of who we really are. This journey takes courage, honesty and an ongoing interrogation of our presuppositions, a willingness to explore how our perspectives are tinted and veiled by our particular experiences. When we gather with others in a confidential satsang - one in which we can explore honestly in confidence, without being shackled by fear of ostracisation or hasty condemnation - this is one of the most potent ways to accelerate the yogic process of looking in ways that reach beyond our habitual ways of looking. During this episode, I suggest how terminology often gets laden with associations that can exacerbate feelings of distance and otherness. I give a couple of examples of how the same term can come with vastly different associations for different people, associations that might usher people away from the reality that they actually share a lot of common ground. I also talk about how even our small and humble efforts may make more difference than we might ever know, and share a story that reminds us to never give up.

Despite the common dictionary definitions of nature as something separate from or other than human, really we are never separate from nature.We are nature.Nature is our very nature!We are born, we will die, and in between those two great changes, we will experience constant change, just like everything else in nature.Yoga works with human nature to practically invite us into the recognition and remembrance of our deeper, subtler nature.www.jamesboagyoga.com

Dharma - one of the most foundational principles in yoga and the broader Indic tradition.As a verb: that which supports, holds, sustainsAs a noun: the essential quality or property of a thing. For example, liquidity, the tendency to flow downwards and follow a path of least resistance, coolness and sweet taste are all dharma-s of water. Luminosity and warmth are dharma-s of fire.For humans: our capacity for self-reflexive awareness, our curiosity and our predilection for beauty are all intrinsic dharma-s.Like many words in the Saṁskṛta language, dharma can shine its meaning out in many different directions depending on the context. It indicates nature, law, the right, appropriate action or course of action. It sometimes refers to a body of practice or religious teachings intended to guide us in the direction of appropriate action. It is considered one of the foundational aims of life.Dharma is a vast topic. This episode makes reference to verses 2.31 and 3.35 of the Bhagavad Gītā, to teachings from Zach Bush  https://zachbushmd.com/ and to a story of Rabbi Zuzya that I was intriduced to by storyteller Roi Gal-Or.  https://www.roigalor.com/ 

I believe in miracles...I am reminded that I am a walking, breathing, pulsating miracle...This amazing vehicle of a human body is a miracle, and it demonstrates our remarkable capacity as human beings to reconcile and integrate things that might seem impossible to bring into harmony.The earth, water, fire and air of our bodily vehicles cohere in a space of beauty and sustained cohesion.Our capacity for beauty, rhythm and harmony is greater than we might realise.Yoga offers us a practical method to remember who we really are, reclaim our birthright and embody our responsibility as unique participants in the miraculous symphony of life.Life knows how to live, the spirit never dies. May we remember how to live with spirit, inhaling and expanding, letting go and exhaling in rhythm and harmony with the cosmic rhythm we are here to dance with.

On congruence and new year's resolutionsOn being impeccable with our word and cultivating śraddhā - self-trust. Practising congruence between thoughts, speech and actions.How speech - standing at the threshold between thoughts and actions - offers a powerful focus to help cultivate greater congruence, confidence and self trust.With reference to the Sanskṛt subhāṣita 'wise saying':Manasyekam vacasyekam karmaṇyekam mahātmanā |Manasyanyat vacasyanyat karmaṇyanyat durātmanā ||One whose thought, speech and action are one is a great soul.One whose mind is one thing, whose speech another and whose action another again is a soul in torment.

This episode considers some of the rich layers of meaning encoded in one of the Sanskṛt verses that is traditionally sung before study of the Bhagavad Gītā:Sarvo’paniṣado gāvaḥ dogdhā gopālanandanaḥ |Partho vatsaḥ sudhīrbhoktāḥ dugdhaṃ gītāmṛtaṃmahat ||All the upanisad-s are like the cows, Kṛṣṇa, joy of the cowherders, is the milker. His dear friend Arjuna, son of Pṛtha is the calf. The skilfully oriented - those with a wise outlook - enjoy the nectarine milk that is the Gītā. The Upaniṣad-s range far and wide, and include texts of diverse styles and of different focuses. The Gītā is regarded as the practical distillation - the milk - of all the Upaniṣad-s; and chapter two is the cream - the very essence of this deeply nourishing and supportive teaching.The first chapter of the Gītā weaves the teaching of Kṛṣṇa’s dialogue with Arjuna on the kurukṣetra battlefield into the broader fabric of the Mahābhārata epic.Chapter Two, in 72 glorious verses, then gives us the essence of the whole teaching which I’ll be exploring in the upcoming:NEW ONLINE GĪTĀ COURSE October 2024-June 2025 More details here: https://jamesboagyoga.com/bgch2online/Enrol here: https://jamesboagyoga.thinkific.com/courses/BGch2makingthewholefieldsingChapter Two was the first chapter I studied with my meditation teacher, the first I translated with my first Sanskṛt teacher Acharn Tassanee Sinsakul, the first I translated with my Indian Sanskṛt teachers in Mysore, and the first I taught direct from the Sanskṛt, now more than fifteen years ago. I have had the privilege of exploring this chapter with groups more than a dozen times, but not now for several years. I am keen to return to the Gītā and I’d like to invite you to join me on an in-depth immersive course that will bring us into vibrant proximity with Kṛṣṇa’s empowering, pragmatic counsel and the timeless, practical teachings of what is widely considered one of the very greatest of spiritual texts. Similar to last year’s Living the Yoga Sūtra course, this will run for thirty sessions over more or less a ‘school year’ with an autum semester October until the first week of December, then a winter break, and a spring semester likely starting in February and culminating before the summer Solstice in June. As on previous courses, the main sessions will also be preceded by half hour recitation practice during which we will learn and practice the 72 beautiful verses of chapter two.Course details here: https://jamesboagyoga.com/bgch2online/Enrol here: https://jamesboagyoga.thinkific.com/courses/BGch2makingthewholefieldsing

In this fifth conversation with William S Whorton, I ask him about his success in avoiding some of the ways human beings sabotage their own lives that he became keenly aware of as a teenager. I also asked Bill about his marriage. When I worked with Bill at Chulalongkorn University, I was aware how many of the students were so moved and inspired by the way he spoke of his beautiful wife, as I was. During this conversation, Bill also shares lots of practical wisdom and insight around intuition, fear, learning and how to enter another culture as a guest. You can read Bill's VIGNETTE: CREATING HARMONY FROM CULTURAL DIFFERENCES ---- A LOVE STORY. THE COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE OF A U.S. MARINE FROM KANSAS AND A THAI BUSINESSWOMAN FROM BANGKOK’S CHINATOWN. (PART 1, 1976 - 1984) on the Whole Life Yoga Blog here: https://jamesboagyoga.com/blog-articles/lovestory/

In this first 'thanking the teachers/thoughts on the guru' episode, I give thanks to my third year junior school class teacher, Mrs Eggleston. During my schooling I was fortunate to have some wonderful teachers. I also encountered and survived others whom I would describe with different types of adjective. But I had enough great ones to help me learn at least to some degree how to learn. Mrs Eggleston impressed into my awareness some of what I consider the most important teachings of my whole school career, including: - Don't do something just because someone tells you to. - Someone telling you to do something is not necessarily a good reason for you to do it. - Just because other people are doing something doesn't mean you should. - You should know WHY you are doing what you are doing. Who is it serving? Is it serving you? Is it the right thing to do? Is it what your conscience is directing? - Ignorance is not stupidity. Just because you don't know doesn't mean you are stupid. It means you don't know. When you are honest about not knowing you give yourself the chance to learn. - When you don't know, acknowledge it, ask and see if you can find out!

In this fourth conversation with William S Whorton, I ask him about one of the formative experiences of his life that I have had the privilege of reading about, Bill's first encounter with the TRANSCENDENT through the music that came into his life as he walked past the Second Baptist Church one Sunday in his hometown as a teenager. Bill then went on to become the only white member of this church, and to meet spirit through music that took him beyond ordinary consciousness. We also talk about the role of enchantment on the way of practice and of the lasting impact of Bill's experience as part of that congregation, and on the need for openness on a path of genuine spiritual inquiry. The photo here is of Bill with the Men's Chorus of the Second Baptist Church, Junction City Kansas in 1958 You can read Bill's moving and inspring VIGNETTE about the richness and lasting impact of his experiences with the 2nd Baptist Church here: https://jamesboagyoga.com/blog-articles/blog-draft-1/

I enjoyed this third conversation with William S Whorton, co-translator with Acharn Tassanee Sinsakul of The Bhagavad Gītā published last year by Uppsala Books: https://uppsalabooks.com/bg on the 65th anniversary of Bill's first day of training in the Marine Corps. It is a privilege to listen to Bill and receive some of the fruits of a lifetime of seeking and practice on the WAY of yoga and the sincere search for TRUTH. In this conversation we touch on themes of initiation and transformation, of apprenticeship and the role of desire, readiness and sacrifice on any genuine path of growth and transformation. 

Yoga practice is EVERY DAYAs Rabindranath Tagore, translated by William Radice said it:Every day, the dawn Brings a blessingTo whatever is still growingTowards the SunRabindranath Tagore - Sparks/ Sphuliṅga, 31Yoga practice is an every day affair.An all day, every day endeavour.A day and night, summer and winter ever new commitment.As Tagore’s words remind us, ‘every day, the dawn brings a blessing to whatever is still growing towards the sun.’I first encountered this verse in a collection of Rabindranath Tagores Brief Poems titled The Jewel That Is Best.It contains many sparks and gems, but this is the one that most arrested me when I first picked up the book at an airport bookshop in Mumbai in 2010.Yoga practice invites us into a remembering of who we really are. And one of the ways this is facilitated is by the embodied prayer of celebration, gratitude, reverence and devotion that is sūrya namaskāra, or saluting the Sun, symbol of the light of consciouness without which we would not be having any experience at all.When we actively, steadily cultivate gratitude and presence, we can harness yoga principles to realise more fully our human potential, work skilfully with the blessings of this day and keep growing towards the Sun of integrated, unified, whole consciousness.

Sometimes people have the misperception that yoga is about 'chillaxing' or 'going with the flow'. Yoga is about balance. Sometimes of course, taking things easy and going with the flow is the optimal way of being, but if we just go with the flow, it won't be long before we are tipped over a waterfall, lacerated on razor rock or stranded in an oxbow lake...Yoga practice is about getting in the flow and working with the intelligence of life. If we just flow on with our previously established habits they will not carry us anywhere different from where they have up to now. If we want to move in the direction of yoga, this requires a certain intensity. But how to be 'intense' in a discipline or practice that is long-term, constant, wholehearted, devoted? What does it mean to be 'intent' on yoga? Here are a few initial thoughts.If you'd like to sign up for the June online intensive on sādhana, sovereignty and the ocean of practice, here in the linkIn this course we'll explore principles to help us maintain a yogic intent through the inevitable ups, downs, challenges and opportunities of life, with reference to the Bhagavad Gītā, Yoga Sūtra, Rāmāyaṇa and Purāṇa-ic Mythology.More details:Online satsang course: June 2024, Tuesdays June 4, 11, 18, 25 6-8pm UK timePractical yoga philosophy and mythology-  gain deeper, more rounded and refined understanding of practical yoga principles so you can integrate them more reliably into your everyday life?- Soak in the rich flavour and timeless supports of yogic mythology? - Support your yoga practice and inquiry with a satsang community and classes that keep the teachings front of our awareness to help support lifelong learningAll sessions are recorded and participants will have access to all recordings as well as additional notes.The 6-8pm Tuesday sessions will also be preceded by an optional 30 minute Sanskṛt recitation practice (5:30-6:00pm). During these weeks this will focus on chapter four of Patañjali’s Yoga Sūtra.Enrol here nowSession Overview1. The royal path of yoga - aṣṭāṅga yoga is rāja yoga. With reference to the Yoga Sūtra and drawing especially from the Bhagavad Gītā, introducing the broad, inclusive path of rāja yoga/aṣṭāṅga yoga and how this includes and integrates the mutually supportive paths of karma - action, jñāna - knowledge, wisdom and discernment, and bhakti - devotion and reverence for life.Deepen your understanding of how to include your whole being in your practice, cultivate your strengths and address your weaknesses in practical, sustainable and motivating ways.Session Two June 11thSādhana - Three is a magic numberContinuing the exploration of karma yoga, jñāna yoga and bhakti yoga as essential aspects of the royal path. With reference to Yoga Sūtra, Bhagavad Gītā and with stories along the way to illustrate how we can infuse the practical gifts of yoga into all aspects of our lives.Session Three June 18thLeaping over the ocean of samsāraFocusing on Rāmāyaṇa and Hanuman - the crest-jewel of yogis - who is great in karma, jñana and bhakti. The beautiful stories of Hanuman’s exploits and service invite us into deeper understanding of what it means to practice yoga in service of our own inner sovereign for the sake of reconciliation and lasting peace.Session Four June 25thChurning the Ocean of MilkBuilding on the previous sessions, telling and exploring the myth of the churning of the milky ocean that encodes the process of yoga practice, including key challenges and opportunities along the way.

A fairly freewheeling episode in which I share thoughts on mastery and apprenticeship. In recent weeks I have had the privilege and joy to share in person with several long term colleagues whom I had not seen for some time. More than once this topic came up. It seems in the world today that genuine mastery of a particular art, craft or discipline is perhaps rarer than only a short time ago. In a world that offers endless distractions that never bring lasting satisfaction and perpetuate some level of dis-ease, yoga offers a time-proven method to cultivate a lifelong spirit of apprenticeship and inquiry so we may actually approach greater mastery and fulfilment in this lifetime. 

Āsana literally means 'seat', the seat not just of our physical body, but of our whole psychic reality. Yoga techniques seek to cultivate a seat of awareness that is steady and clear, so we can move through the rich opportunities of life with greater poise, ease and in ways that can help us keep learning along the way. These days, āsana, or yoga posture practice, is one of the ways many people make some first kind of encounter with the perspectives of yoga. But beyond poses, posture, attitude and seat, what is āsana, what's it all about, what's the story? Recently a student on a training program I spoke on asked me about āsana, this episode offers an initial response, which may well be continued.

This May 8-12 2024 I will be collaborating with Clare Nicholls on a living the yoga sūtra-s immersive retreat during which we'll explore how we can embody the practical, whole life teachings of yoga. In this conversation, Clare and I share some of our ideas, motivations and experiences of teaching, practising and studying with nature as the guru. This includes a mention of the teachings and practice can help us attune more deeply to our essence - satya, how they can help us come into truer rhythm - ṛta and experience the vastness of who we really are bṛhat. Find out more about the May 8-12 immersive retreat here on Clare's website: https://thecolourandthechaos.com/evolving-through-embodying-patanjali/

This week I'm going to be collaborating with Rosa Tagliafierro of ashtanga yoga italia in Milano, giving a weekend immersion in Italian. Here is an Italian themed podcast episode in which I share a yogic perspective on the Italian folk song Bella Ciao, a song I have sung since the first year I began learning Italian as an eighteen year old at university back in the 20th century.

In this episode I continue the conversation around the practical teachings of the Bhagavad Gītā with my friend and former colleague from Chulalongkorn University, Acharn Captain William S Whorton. As a combat veteran who has experienced and participated first hand in what he describes as an evil war, Bill brings a unique perspective to yoga and the teachings of the Bhagavad Gītā and how they can help us confront evil. He has recently published a translation of the Bhagavad Gītā, co-authored with Acharn Tassanee Sinsakul, which I highly recommend, published by Uppsala Books. All being well, I will have chance to interview Bill again soon.

In this conversation with Clare Nicholls, we consider:- what does it mean to 'live the yoga sūtra-s'?- why might a person might want to do that?How can these teachings help us weave greater harmony into the fabric of our being. Clare and I will be facilitating a retreat exploring these teachings in greater depth this May 8th-12th in Switzerland:https://thecolourandthechaos.com/evolving-through-embodying-patanjali/

Praha edition 2 - Jakob and the golden hearthAs I’m still in Prague, I’m continuing on the Prague theme, here sharing another of my favourite yoga stories from beyond the Indic tradition. This one is of Jakob and the golden hearth. It features the Karluv most/Charles Bridge and the Prague castle. And it also allows me to talk a little about Purāṇa - the timeless, perennially relevant stories of the yoga tradition that alert us to the gifts of our birth and the inner treasures we are always really conected to. If you enjoy this telling here, I invite you to listen also to another version that I shared on soundcloud a few years back, Jakob, yoga and the real power of love.https://soundcloud.com/james-boag-517265519/jakob-yoga-and-the-real-power-of-love

I am in the beautiful capital of Bohemia, not far from the Vltava river. In this episode I share a story of Princess Kolobiska, the young woman who knows how to find the sure way through even seemingly impossible situations by finding the middle path. This story from Czech folklore I know better from Italo Calvino’s Fiabe Italiane, where it is one of my favourites, the story of Caterina - La Contadina Furba.In this episode, with reference to these yogic folk stories, to Prague and to the Bhagavad Gītā, I talk about how yoga happens in the junction.

In this episode I am in conversation with my friend and former colleague from Chulalongkorn University, Acharn Captain William S Whorton.Over the last twenty-four years, together with our great Sanskṛt teacher Acharn Tassanee Sinsakul, Bill has been studying and translating the Bhagavad Gītā. Their unique translation was recently published by Uppsala Books https://uppsalabooks.com/bgAnd I highly recommend it!The appendices and essays are great treasures, and the translation invites us into the ongoing inquiry that is the heart of practice with concise, stimulating translators’ notes throughout. This work is the fruit of a collaboration between two extraordinary practitioner-scholars who have studied, lived and practised the teachings of the Gītā over many decades. For Bill, a decorated combat veteran of the Vietnam War, the Gītā’s battlefield setting drew his attention as he turned to the study of philosophy to repair his disintegrated mind and troubled soul after seeing the evil of the war he had participated in. Acharn Tassanee meanwhile, is, as Bill would describe her, a sage and a master, a person whose very presence transmits wisdom, insight and integrity. As well as being a lifelong scholar and great teacher of Thai, Pali and Sanskṛt, Acharn Tassanee is established in the spirit of exploration and apprenticeship of a true seeker. It was my great privilege to work with them both when I taught English at Chulalongkorn University 2002-6 and to begin my studies of Sanskṛt with Acharn Tassanee during this period and in the following few years when I had left the university to dedicate myself to the teaching, study and practice of yoga and Sanskṛt.All being well, this will be the first of a series of conversations with Bill related to the Gītā and this practice of yoga on the battlefield for life.

Let us not get lost in lamentation! As Kṛṣṇa urges us in the Bhagavad Gītā, life will involve gain and loss, joy and sorrow, hot and cold, pleasure and pain. The coming and going of these pairs of opposites is inevitable. Once we have felt and acknowledged something, no need to get fixated on it. Let us cultivate steady awareness so we can move through the inevitable ups and downs of life with greater ease, so we can learn, grow and enjoy more easily. As Clarissa Pinkola Estés has sometimes advised: 'Do not complain, do not criticise, do not condemn!' With reference to the beautiful aria 'J'ai perdu mon Eurydice' from Gluck's opera Orfeo ed Eurydice, and its majestic performance by the incomparable Maria Callas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF5FhF_t5i4 this episode highlights the yogic injunction to take responsibility for and take care of how we cultivate our attitude to life with its inevitable changes.

Yoga wants to set us free, but in what sense?

Why does yoga matter? Why is it so helpful and relevant today? This episode considers some of the timeless principles of yoga and how we can work with them to help foster deeper harmony in our lives today.

On Kīrtan - Yoga of Sound and SongThere are so many ways to practice yoga. Yet from a certain perspective, most yoga techniques are in some way about sound, vibration and harmonisation. Kīrtan is one of the techniques I especially enjoy sharing, here I share some thoughts on what kīrtan is, why and how it’s beneficial and in so doing attempt to illustrate how time working with yoga techniques makes it easier to practice yoga the rest of the time.You can read more about kīrtan on my website:https://jamesboagyoga.com/whole-life-yoga/kirtan/And in several blog articles there too:https://jamesboagyoga.com/blog-articles/category-kirtan/

First episode in the Whole Life Yoga Podcast. On faith and courage, or more precisely śraddhā and vīrya - the first two qualities Patañjali sets out as essential for yoga practice. Bringing the ancient, timeless, perennial teachings of yoga to vivid life. Unscripted talks on whole life yoga. Considering life through a yogic lens. Exploring the yoga of the whole human being with reference to the classic Sanskṛt texts of the yoga tradition, mythology, poetry, literature and music, and to movement, meditation, kīrtan and the yoga of sound and song, language and communciation. www.jamesboagyoga.com